Yarn take-up and tensioning device for hand-threaded weaving shuttles



W. J. GOSSELIN 1953 YARN TAKE-UP AND TENSIONING DEVICE FOR 2627878 HAND-THREADED WEAVING SHUTTLES Filed NOV. 5, 1949 LSHEETS-SHEET l I [maemiar 1759 2-22! J Goflflelam 1 195 w. GOSSELIN 2 627 878 Feb 3 YARN TAKE-UP TENSIONING D CE FOR HAND-THREADED WEAVING SHU ES Filed Nov. 3, 1949 2 SHE S ET 2 a 7fl 350 Y Inventor Patented Feb. It 1953 YARN TAKE-UP AND TENSIONING DEVICE FOR HAND-THREADED WEAVING SHUT- TLES Wilfrid J. Gosselin, Methuen, Mass, assignor to U S Bobbin & Shuttle Company, Lawrence, Mass, a corporation of Rhode Island Application November 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,257

'7 Claims. 1

This invention pertains to loom shuttles and more especially to a yarn take-up and tension device for a hand-threaded shuttle.

The customary form of take-up device comprises a pivoted arm housed within the end portion of the shuttle body adjacent to the delivery eye. On its way to the delivery eye of the shuttle the yarn passes through an eye carried by this pivoted arm. Zhe arm is spring tensioned so that its yarn-guiding eye tends to move away from the delivery eye of the shuttle, thus taking up any slack in the yarn. It also acts to impose tension upon the yarn on its way from the bobbin to the delivery eye. While prior devices of this type are adequate for their intended purpose of taking up slack in the running yarn, these tension devices are housed within the end portion of the shuttle where they are quite inaccessible for threading. Heretofore it has been usual in hand-threading such tension devices, to use some sort of implement, for example a weavers hook for drawing the yarn through the take-up guide eye and through the delivery eye of the shuttle. This is a troublesome and annoying operation consuming time and adding to the cost of production.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a take-up for use in ahand-threaded weaving shuttle so devised that the yarn may be threaded into the take-up without requiring the use of a hook or other implement. A further object is to provide a yarn take-up and tension device for use in a shuttle and in which the takeup device is housed within the shuttle body and so arranged that the act of drawing the yarn into the thread delivery eye of the shuttle automatically threads it into the tension device. A further object is to provide a yarn take-up for use in weaving shuttles of such design that it may be constructed to have a greater or lesser take-up capacity. A further object is to provide a yarn take-up device for use in shuttles wherein a threading slot leads to the delivery eye, so devised that as the yarn is led through the delivery slot in threading up the shuttle it may, at the same time, be entered into the guide eye of the take-up device. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a shuttle embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the portion of the shuttle shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary rear elevation of the portion of the shuttle shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, to larger scale than Fig. l, of a bell crank forming an element of the take-up of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bell crank of Fig. 4 together with the spring which actuates it, and showing the anchoring post for the spring in horizontal section;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, horizontal section substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 2, but to larger scale, showing the normal position of the take-up device when the shuttle is unthreaded;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the position of the take-up device while the yarn from the bobbin is being drawn through the threading slot into the delivery eye of the shuttle;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation looking from the interior of the shuttle toward the shuttle delivery eye and showing the location of the yarn when in the position of Fig. 7, as respects the upstanding tail of the take-up guide eye;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 and showing the parts in the same position, but illustrating the rearward movement of the thread toward the delivery eye;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the yarn fully threaded into the delivery eye of the shuttle and with the take-up arm in its normal operative position;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a bell crank for use with a left-hand shuttle;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the bell crank of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary, vertical section, to large scale, substantially on the line l3--l3 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 14 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line l4-I4 of Fig. 13.

Referring to the drawings the numeral I designates the shuttle body, usually of wood and in general of conventional construction, having the bobbin cavity 2 within which is arranged the bobbin 3. The end portion 4 of the shuttle is provided with the usual metal tip 5. Just forwardly of the bobbin cavity 2 there is provided, within the wood of the shuttle body, a tension cavity in which is mounted the tension block 6 having the opposed spring pressed tension elements I arranged at opposite sides of the thread guiding passage 8. While such a friction or drag tension may be desirable, particularly with certain types of yarn which are difilcult to control, it is contemplated that the friction or drag tension may be dispensed with when the improved take-up device of the present invention is employed.

The end potrion 4 of the shuttle body is provided with a take-up cavity 9 (Fig. 6) intervening between the forward part of the tension cavity and the tip 5. This take-up cavity 9 opens through the front wall of the shuttle as shown at (Fig. 2), the opening at It being of substantial size to provide access to the take-up device. The rear wall of the shuttle body at the location of the cavity 9 is provided with a horizontal slot H (Figs. 3 and 14) which is substantially aligned with the thread groove in the rear wall of the shuttle, if such thread groove be provided. The material of the shuttle body is provided (Fig. 14) with a vertical slot leading down from its upper surface and in this slot is arranged the delivery eye block 13 usually of porcelain, comprising the rear leg Hi (Fig. 13) which usually reaches down to and rests upon the floor of the chamber a. Above the block, a plug l2 fills the vertical slot. The eye block also comprises the forward leg l (Fig. 13) which tapers downwardly in thickness and terminates at a point l5 (Fig. 14) substantially above the floor of the cavity 9, but slightly below the lower edge ll of the slot H. The downward taper of this forward leglh provides a clearance 13 (Fig. 14) through which the thread may pass between the corner of the lower wall H of the slot H and the leg it of the delivery eye block. The delivery eye block 13 is provided with an upwardly directed passage IT (Fig. 13) leading to the yarn delivery eye (8.

A curved threading slot 2d (Fig. 1) extends vertically down from the upper surface of the shuttle into the take-up chamber 9, the rear end of this slot 26 being open into the tension cavity and being aligned with the passage 8, while its opposite or forward end i9 (Fig. 3) communicates with the forward end of the horizontal slot H.

In. hand threading the shuttle, the yarn is drawn forwardly and through the tension guide passage 8 and then down through the slot 29 until it reaches the forward end of the horizontal slot H. It is then drawn backwardly along the surface H until it encounters the forward sloping edge of the leg i5 of the delivery eye block,

the yarn then slipping down along this edge unp til it passes through the clearance l5 and snaps up through the entrance ll into the eye 18, the yarn being thus locked in position within the guide eye so that it can only escape under extremely unusual circumstances Within the take-up chamber!) there is arranged a vertical post 2| (Figs. 1, 2, 6, '7, 9, fixed at its upper and lower ends in the material of the shuttle body. On this post is mounted a take-up device comprising a bell crank, here shown (Fig. 4) as consisting of a length of metal wire which is coiled, as shown at 22, to provide a bearing which receives and turns on the post 2i. One end of this coil 22 extends, as shown at 23 (Fig. 5), to form a long arm or takeup arm of the bell crank, while the other end of the coil extends, as shown at 2431, to form'a shorter arm of the bell crank, the arms 23 and 24 being disposed substantially at right angles to each other as seen in plan view (Fig. 5) in a horizontal plane that it is below a yarn extending forwardly from the yarn guide passage 8 of the shuttle and into the threading slot 20. The arm 24 terminates in an eye 25 through which passes a rubber thread spring-26 which-is knotted at its forward end, as shown at K, to prevent it from being drawn from the eye 25. The opposite end of this rubber thread spring passes through a diametrical opening in a post 2'! having screw threaded engagement at its lower part with the material of the shuttle body, the end 28 of the rubber thread being knotted to prevent its withdrawal from the post 2?. This post extends up through the upper part of the shuttle body and is provided at its upper end with a slot to receive a screw driver. By turning the post the eiiective length of the rubber thread spring 26 may be changed, thereby to vary the tension it applies to the arm 26.

The longer or take-up arm 23 of the bell crank is coiled to form a pigtail guide 29, the center of the guide eye thus provided being below the horizontal plane of movement of the arm 23 and substantially in the horizontal piane of the center of the delivery eye H? of the shuttle (Fig. 8). The end of the arm 23 is extended upwardly above the horizontal plane of movement of said arm to form the upstanding tail or yarn-catching element 38, which preferably terminates in a short hook 3|, the latter extending toward the front side of the shuttle body. As may be seen in Fig. 8, the arm 23 is below a yarn Y extending forwardly from the yarn guide passage 8 of the shuttle toward the forward end IQ of the threading slot 29 as it does during the threading operation while the tail, or yarn-catching element 3|], projects above the path of a yarn so positioned. The loop or eye 25 on the arm 24 of the bell crank not only serves as an anchorage for the end of the rubber thread spring 26 but it also constitutes an actuator engageable by the thumb of the user in applying force for swinging the bell crank in opposition to the spring 26. The length of the arm 23 and the position of the post 2| are such that when, by the application of pressure to the part 25, the bell crank has been swung in a counterclockwise direction, the pigtail guide 29 will occupy approximately the position shown in Fig. 7, wherein the upstanding tail 33 or yamcatching element is closely adjacent to the delivery eye block l3 and rearward of the locus of a tensioned yarn extending through the take-up chamber from the tensioning element to the forward end 19 of the threading slot 29.

In threading the shuttle the user will first draw off a length of thread from the bobbin with his right hand and while holding the thread end, will place one of his fingers, for example the middle finger, of his left hand, upon the thread just forwardly of the tip of the bobbin, for example at the point F (Fig. 7) so as to press the thread down against the bottom of the bobbin cavity and prevent more thread from pulling off of the bobbin. At the same time he will press the tip of the thumb of his left hand against the loop member 25 and will push the latter forwardly, thus swinging the bell crank to the position shown in Fig. '7. While thus holding the parts, the operator draws upon the free end of the yarn Y as in the customary threading operation, pulling the yarn down into the tensioning passage 8 and into the threading slot 29. As the yarn moves vertically down between the walls of the threading slot 20 it passes into the take-up chamber 9 so as to lie in front of the upstanding tail or yarn-catching element 30 and above the arm 23 the pressure on the part 25 (Fig. 9) while allowing the arm 23 to move clockwise so as to engage the yarn-catching element 39 with the yarn. While still holding a finger on the yarn at the point F, the operator moves the free end of the yarn along the slot H (to the right as viewed in Fig. 3) until it is engaged within the delivery eye l8 of the shuttle, as above described. Durin this latter operation, and as the yarn is drawn down towards the horizontal slot II, it passes downwardly between the forward and rear parts of the eye 29, and when the yarn finally is positioned within the delivery eye l8 it also lies within the guide eye 29 of the pigtail, as shown in Fig. 10, the take-up thus being completely threaded and in readiness for operation. Thus the simple operation of threading the shuttle automatically introduces the thread into the guide eye 29 so that no hook or other implement is required for this purpose. The operation of threading up the take-up is thus much more rapid than is possible with take-ups of usual prior constructions, in fact so much more rapid that it appears possible to reduce the number of operators necessary for keeping the shuttles properly threaded.

The amount of slack which must be taken up is quite small, for example it may not exceed one-quarter inch and there is ample space within the end portion of the ordinary shuttle to provide a take-up arm 23 of the necessary length to take up the desired slack. Obviously, by changing the position of the vertical pin 25 it is possible to use bell cranks having longer or shorter arms without affecting the proper relationship of the pigtail guide to the location of the threading slot 28.

The bell crank shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is for use in a right-hand shuttle, but for a left-hand shuttle it is simply necessary, as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, to reverse the position of the upstanding tail member of the pigtail guide eye with reference to the horizontal arm of the guide. Thus as shown in Fig. 11 the tail 38 stands in front of the arm 23*, whereas in Fig. 4 the upstanding tail 39 is to the rear of the arm 23.

While a simple rubber thread spring is desirable it is contemplated that springs of other types may be employed and while a particular form of shuttle eye has been illustrated and described as useful in connection with the improved take-up, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited with respect to the form of shuttle delivery eye employed. It is further to be understood that such other modifications and rearrangement of parts as fall within the scope of the appended claims are to be regarded as within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination in a weaving shuttle of the hand-threading type having a body provided with a thread guide passage extending forwardly from a bobbin chamber and through a tensioning chamber, a lateral yarn delivery eye in one side wall of the shuttle body, a take-up chamber within the body of the shuttle, forwardly of the tensioning chamber, and a vertical threading slot formed in the body of the shuttle and which leads forwardly from the tensioning chamber and then diverges toward that wall of the shuttle having the delivery eye, the threading slot extending down through the ceiling of the take-up chamber, a take-up arm located within said chamber and in a horizontal plane which is below a yarn extending forwardly from the thread guide passage into the threading slot, the take-up arm being pivoted to swing about a vertical axis located forwardly of the rear end of the threading slot, the arm having a yarn guide eye ad- 6 jacent to its free end and having a yarn-catching element which extends above the horizontal plane of the take-up arm, proper, means to which manual force may be applied for moving the arm preparatory to threading so that it temporarily extends across but below the vertical threading slot and with its yarn-catching element positioned closely adjacent to the delivery eye so that yarn, moving downwardly into the take-up chamber from the threading slot, extends transversely of the arm and contacts the arm at a distance from the yarn-catching element, and spring means normally holding the arm in a position such that neither the arm, its guide eye nor the yarn-catching element is in the path of yarn moving downwardly into the take-up chamber from the threading slot, the spring means being operative, when such manual force is released, to move the arm so that a yarn which has dropped onto it from the threading slot is engaged by the yarn-catching element and delivered into the guide eye at the free end of the arm.

2. In combination in a weaving shuttle of the hand-threading type having a bobbin chamber and a thread guide passage leading forwardly therefrom, a lateral yarn delivery eye and a vertical threading slot for guiding yarn to the delivery eye, the shuttle having a take-up chamber within that end portion at which the delivery eye is located, a straight, horizontally swinging take-up arm within said latter chamher, said arm being pivoted to turn about a vertical axis within the take-up chamber and located forwardly of the rear end of the threading slot and swinging in a horizontal plane which is below a yarn extending forwardly from the thread guide passage of the shuttle into the threading slot, the arm having a pigtail guide at its free end, a spring tending to swing said arm so as to move the pigtail guide away from the delivery eye of the shuttle and a part to which manual force may be applied for swinging and temporarily holding the arm, during threading, so as to position the pigtail guide adjacent to the delivery eye of the shuttle and between said eye and the longitudinal plane of the thread guide passage whereby a yarn, moving down from the threading slot into the take-up chamber, drops onto the arm at a point spaced from the pigtail guide, the latter being so shaped that when the application of manual force ceases, the yarn resting on the arm is swept into the pigtail guide.

3. In combination in a loom shuttle of the hand-threading type having a bobbin chamber and a substantially horizontal thread guide passage leading forwardly therefrom, a lateral delivery eye having a horizontal yarn entrance passage, the shuttle having a threading slot extending downwardly from its upper surface and shaped to lead yarn, in hand-threading, into the horizontal entrance passage to the delivery eye, the shuttle having a take-up chamber in that end at which the delivery eye is located and yarn take-up means within said take-up chamber, said take-up means comprising a straight take-up arm pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane which is below a yarn extending forwardly from the thread guide passage into the delivery slot, the arm swinging about a vertical axis located forwardly of the rear end of the threading slot, said arm having a yarn guide eye at its free end, the axis of the guide eye being below the horizontal plane of movement of the arm, resilient means 7 operative, when the shuttle is unthreaded, to position said arm so that its guide eye and the deliv ery eye of the shuttle are at opposite side respectively of the threading slot of the shuttle and with the arm out of the path of yarn moving down from the slot into the take-up chamber, and means to which manual force may be applied for moving the take-up arm, in opposition to said resilient means, until its guide eye is between the delivery eye of the shuttle and the threading slot and with the arm extending transversely of the threading slot.

4. In combination in a loom shuttle of the hand-threading type having a bobbin chamber and having a substantially horizontal thread guide passage leading forwardly from said bobbin chamber and to and through a tensicning chamber, the shuttle having a lateral yarn delivery eye having an entrance passage, the shuttle having a curved, vertical threading slot extending downwardly from its upper surface and shaped to lead yarn, in hand threading. to the entrance passage of the delivery eye, the shuttle having a take-up chamber in that end at which the delivery eye is located and yarn take-up means within said chamber, said take-up means comp-rising a pivoted take-up arm arranged to swing in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis located forwardly of the rear end of the threading slot and having a pigtail guide eye at its free end,

of the guide eye being below said horizontal plane, the arm having a yarn catching element which extends up above the horizontal plane of movement of the arm, the arm being freely movable to a position such that said thread catching ele ment is at the opposite side of the threading slot from the yarn delivery eye, spring means tending to swing the arm to move its yarn catching eivment away from the delivery eye of the shuttie and to a position such that the arm is out of the path of a arn mo 'ing down through the threading slot into the take-up chamber, and a partto which manual force may be applied for moving the arm toward the delivery eye thereby temporarily disposing the arm, during hand threading, to extend transversely across and below the threading slot of the shuttle so that a yarn, moving down from the threading slot into the takeup chamber, rests upon the arm with the yarn catching element located adjacent to the delivery arm of the shuttle, the spring mean being operative, when the arm is released from the application of manual force, to move the arm away from the delivery eye thereto to engage the yarncatching element with the yarn.

5. In combination in a loom shuttle of the hand-threading type having a bobbin chamber and a substantially horizontal thread guide passage leading forwardly from said chamber, the shuttle having a lateral yarn delivery eye pro vided with an entrance passage, the shuttle having a narrow, vertical threading slot extending downwardly from its upper surface and shaped to lead yarn, in hand threading, to the entrance passage to the delivery eye, the shuttle having a take-up chamber in that end at which the delivery eye is located and yarn take-up means within said chamber, said take-up means comprising a pivoted, horizontal take-up arm provided with a yarn guide element at its free end, the arm being movable about a vertical axis within the tal e-up chamber so that it may be cause to diverge toward either side of the shuttle from its piovtal axis thereby to position its guide element at either side respectively of the threading positioning the arm so that, during threading, it

temporarily extend transversely across and below the threading slot of the shuttle with its guide element between the slot and the delivery eye of the shuttle whereby yarn, moving downwardly from the threading slot into the take-up chamber, will extend transversely of the arm and contact the latter at a point between the pivotal axis of the arm and its yarn guide element.

6. In combination in a loom shuttle of the hand threading type having a bobbin chamber, a lateral yarn delivery eye provided with an entrance passage, the shuttle having a threading slot extending downwardly from its upper surface and shaped to lead a yarn, in hand threading, to said entrance passage, the shuttle having a take-up chamber in that end at which the delivery eye is located, and yarn take-up means within said take-up chamber, said take-up means comprising a movable support carrying a single yarn receiving element consisting of a guide eye of pigtail type having an upstanding tail, resilient means which, when the shuttle is unthreaded, holds the support in a position such that neither the support, the guide eye nor the tail is in the path of a yarn moving down from the threading slot into the take-up chamber, and means to which force may be applied manually for moving the support so as temporarily to position the support until the pigtail guide eye and its tail are located between the delivery eye of the shuttle and the downward path of movement of yarn entering the take-up chamber through the threading slot.

'3'. In combination in a loom shuttle of the hand threading type having a bobbin chamber and a substantially horizontal thread guide passage leading forwardly from said chamber, the shuttle having a lateral yarn delivery eye having an entrance passage, the shuttle having a take-up chamber in that end at which the delivery eye is located, the shuttle having a curved threading slot extending vertically downward from its upper surface into the take-up chamber and which is shaped to lead yarn, in hand threading, to said entrance passage, yarn take-up means within the take-up chamber comprising a pivotally mounted bell crank having a pigtail guide at one end of a relatively long take-up arm which is movable in a horizontal plane which is below a yarn extending forwardly from the thread guide passage into the threading slot, a spring connected to the other relatively shorter arm of the bell crank and which, when the shuttle is unthreaded, holds the long take-up arm in a position such that neither the arm nor its pigtail guide is in the path of movement of a yarn moving down from the threading slot into the take-up chamber, the short arm of the bell crank being exposed for engagement by the finger of the user for swinging the bell crank in opposition to the spring, the pivotal axis of the bell crank being so located and arranged that, by the manual application of force to said short arm, the long arm may be disposed to extend transversely of and below the 9 threading slot so that a yarn, moving down through the threading slot into the take-up chamber, overlies said long arm of the bell crank at a point between the pivotal axis of the bell crank and the pigtail guide.

WILFRID J. GOSSELIN.

REFERENCES CITED Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Schottland Jan. 25, 1927 Shutt et a1. Aug. 6, 1929 Rush Sept. 24, 1929 Hannah Dec. 15, 1931 Scherdel Oct. 3, 1933 Fuller Dec. 10, 1935 Pavia July 20, 1943 

